My 7/8" Bag Strap; a collaborative effort!

[The Last Crusader]

Hi Guys and Gals!

Here's my 7/8" Bag Strap which turned out to be a collaborative effort between Wade Egan, Jake Johnson and me.

http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv94/tundrarider/033-1.jpg

Notice the stitched area where the strap attches to the bag. This "look" is based upon the bag I admired in the Indiana Jones Calendar 2010.

Though I really love my SOC Strap from Wade, after seeing the Calendar photo along with pics of Indiana Jake’s 7/8” strap, I had to have one of those, as well!

Unfortunately, Jake was unable to make the strap for me at this time, but he was very gracious and sent me the 7/8” buckle, as that size buckle is a rarity.

As "necessity is the mother of invention," having to complete this strap myself enabled me to make it exactly how I wanted it to look!

These photos shows how the finished product looks in a shot similar to the Calendar Photo:

My bag pic:

http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv94/tundrarider/048.jpg

Calendar pic:

http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv94/tundrarider/003-6.jpg

Since I needed a really long strap blank, I contacted Wade as he makes “custom straps.” I asked him to make a blank 7/8” strap in Bison Brown with some mahogany undertones. Though Wade knew I was planning on stitching the straps instead of using Chicago screws, he was kind enough to throw a couple screws in the box with the strap. I’m glad he did, because I couldn’t find a rivet anywhere that looked right to me. The rivet in the Calendar shot looks galvanized, so I knew I wanted something very rustic. Also, the strap from Wade was dyed, but not aged, so I rolled the strap backward and hammered it like he recommends:"Rolling" results (http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv94/tundrarider/022-4.jpg)

I cut the strap ends in the "pointed" shape you see here and stitched them to the bag and buckle. Though the "rivet" or Chicago Screw isn't necessary after stitching, I liked the way it looked in the Calendar photo, so I emulated the rivet, as well.

Using my Dremel, I roughed up the Chicago Screw, and completely sanded down the screw head. This exposed the Brass underneath, so I treated it with Brass Aging Solution and got great results. Though mine doesn’t look galvanized, I think the “Rivet” really ties in well with the bag snaps and drains.
before/after screws(top) (http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv94/tundrarider/025.jpg)
before/after screws(bottom) (http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv94/tundrarider/024-2.jpg)

Though the strap in the 2010 calendar doesn’t seem to be screen accurate, and I still haven’t found any stills in the films where it might have been called for, I really like the way the stitching finishes up the overall look of the bag.

http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv94/tundrarider/031-1.jpg

Stitching on other side (http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv94/tundrarider/040-1.jpg)

Also, there are divided camps as to how wide the straps actually are in the last three films. It is widely accepted that the Raiders Strap is 1” wide. But though the TOD/LC/CS straps are narrower, some believe they are 7/8” wide and others believe they begin as 1” straps, and then are made narrower by beveling the edges and using a slightly smaller buckle.

http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv94/tundrarider/030-3.jpg

In this comparison shot with my new strap and Wade’s SOC you can see the difference. But the picture doesn’t do justice in presenting how much more “refined” the narrow strap looks and feels next to the “beefy” SOC. Both are great looks, but they each have their own individual style.

http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv94/tundrarider/041-2.jpg

After looking at the finished product, specifically the distressing I did on the buckle, I asked Jake for one of his "Sandblasted" buckles which he originally recommended. I removed the buckle pictured above and replaced it with the sandblasted version and the improvement is dramatic (to me ;))

http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv94/tundrarider/002-9.jpg

http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv94/tundrarider/001-13.jpg

Many thanks to Wade for the awesome blank strap; to Jake for the buckle (and helpful advice) and to Riothamus for the vintage Mark VII bag!!!

Thanks for looking!

Michael

[neutronbomb]

This is awesome. Incredible job. Really great work and very nice comparison shot.

[deadseascrolls]

Really nice strap Michael! You've done the work of a true craftsman! I'd be content if I had 1/10th the gift that you do with making/designing things.

Can you tell me - Are Wade's LC/CS straps 1" still or do they come in 7/8? I may have to check mine tomorrow as I agree that the screen ones look thinner like a 7/8. If that's the case and mine don't pan out ( :'(), I may have to order one of Jake's, which I might anyways just to see his handy-work.

Again, thanks for the pictures and a job VERY WELL DONE!

[Gunslinger]

WOW! :o :o :o

BEAUTIFUL work mate! I never thought it would have been possible to make one of Wade's strap's better, but... wow!

BTW, which calendar is this from? Could you show us which shot it's from?

[The Last Crusader]

Thank you for the kind words, Bryan!!!



Can you tell me - Are Wade's LC/CS straps 1" still or do they come in 7/8? I may have to check mine tomorrow as I agree that the screen ones look thinner like a 7/8. The width of the bag strap is still pretty controversial, though this topic hasn't reached "Jacket" proportions! :D

IMHO, I believe the Raiders strap was 1" wide and the other three film straps were more narrow, probably 7/8."

Wade and Jake both offer the 7/8" strap upon request. They can each share further info with you if you are interested. Thanks for the warm compliments!


WOW! :o :o :o

BEAUTIFUL work mate! I never thought it would have been possible to make one of Wade's strap's better, but... wow!

BTW, which calendar is this from? Could you show us which shot it's from?
Thank you for the compliments, Kurt! They mean a lot to me! This photo was found by fellow member "djd" in the Indiana Jones 16 month calendar for 2010. (October) Sorry, I don't have a picture of the full page.

Thanks again!

Michael

[Kt Templar]

I've made both the 7/8" and 1" buckles into straps, not sure it is 'really' worth the difference however, the sandblasting is a very nice idea as the very shiny nature of the buckles is a distraction. So your experiments with the oxidizing solution didn't work out on these?

I say this because it looks like the CS one was oxidized and then rubbed off on the edges.

Must say that your version with the extra sticthing is just... outstanding.

[RCSignals]

I suppose you could also work the buckles with some 400 grit wet and dry sand paper

[The Last Crusader]

I've made both the 7/8" and 1" buckles into straps, not sure it is 'really' worth the difference however, the sandblasting is a very nice idea as the very shiny nature of the buckles is a distraction. So your experiments with the oxidizing solution didn't work out on these?

I say this because it looks like the CS one was oxidized and then rubbed off on the edges.

Must say that your version with the extra sticthing is just... outstanding.
Yeah, an eigthth of an inch might not matter to everyone here. For me, the difference is very evident. In the greater scheme of things, to most observers, will it alter the look of your gear considerably? Nawww. I like both straps, but I just like the 7/8" version a bit more. Again, the difference is much more evident in real life, at least to me.

I actually sanded the "wear points" with very fine sandpaper like RC suggested, before the oxidation process. What I didn't like about the result was the brass color which was revealed after sanding and the oxidation didn't really tie everything back together. On the other hand, the sandblasting takes off the shine and give the buckle a dull, light grayish color similar to the Raiders buckle without revealing the brass.

Thanks for the kind words!

Michael

[RCSignals]

Yes for sure you would have to be careful with sand paper, which is why i suggested 400 grit W+D. You could go finer, 600 or 800.
The idea is to not take off the plating, but give it a 'butler' type finish

[The Last Crusader]

Gotcha, RC. ;) I certainly went too deep. I'm really glad that Jake had the ability to sandblast and was able to provide me with a couple replacements.

Michael

[crismans]

Terrific job, Michael. I've grown to appreciate that, not only do you look the part in your gear, you put a lot of thought into getting everything just right. Very nice look!

[The Last Crusader]

Thank you, cris, for the very kind words! :)

Michael

[deadseascrolls]

Well, I'm not 100% on this yet but I've done some analyzing of numerous pictures of Ford in his gear for CS and I'm coming to the consensus that his bag strap may actually be a 7/8" instead of a 1". I also looked and saw that mine are 1" from Wade, which means ---- I may have to once again upgrade. :'( And just when I thought I had it down.

So if anyone's interested in 1" TOD/LC/CS straps (65") of Wade's, let me know!